One of the stars of this year’s CES was Bell’s new Nexus air taxi concept. The electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) prototype is powered by a Safran hybrid-electric propulsion system with six tilting ducted fans. The Nexus also features an energy storage system from EP Systems, an actuation system from Moog, a flight control system from Thales and avionics from Garmin.

Bell says the Nexus will be less noisy than a helicopter and easier to maintain than traditional aircraft thanks to its electric components reducing the complexity of maintenance. Bell says it is targeting the Nexus’ entry into service sometime within the mid-2020s.

Artec 3D Scanners

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Artec has a variety of 3D scanning solutions with applications for aerospace and MRO, including quality assurance, scanning for damage and enabling reverse engineering of parts no longer in production. Artec’s scanners include the Artec Ray, which is a tripod-mounted, long-range scanner that the company says is popular in aviation and can provide 360 deg. scanning of an entire aircraft.

The company’s newest product is the Artec Leo, which is a handheld wireless scanner that uses structured light technology to scan three million points per second. According to Artec, the Leo is able to scan in smaller spaces or more unstable environments, such as inside aircraft lavatories or on aircraft wings. Each of the scanners interface with the company’s Artec Studio software for creating 3D computer models, but Artec says they can also be integrated with third party software. Customers using Artec scanners include Boeing, Airbus, SpaceX and NASA.

Panasonic Avionics Wellness Suite

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Panasonic Avionics had a mockup of its new Wellness Suite for aircraft cabins on display. The Suite includes seat lighting technology that mimics circadian rhythms and simulates sunsets, which Panasonic says helps to adjust passengers’ body clocks to their destination time zone. To complement this lighting technology, the Suite also features noise reducing technology to block out aircraft and cabin noise—similar to the technology in noise-canceling headphones. The noise-blocking capability is built into business or first class seating modules and the company says it works with individual seat vendors to customize settings for airlines.

The third portion of the Wellness Suite is nanoe technology to reduce odors, allergens, bacteria and viruses. The technology—which is already on the market in humidifiers, luxury cars and air dryers—uses ultra-fine electrified water particles to deodorize air and suppress germs. Panasonic says the lighting and noise technologies are going into production now and should be flying in approximately six months. Meanwhile, the company says its nanoe technology is being sold to customers now and is slated for 2020.

Lumus DK-Sleek

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Augmented reality (AR) optics specialist Lumus was showcasing its new DK-Sleek prototype, which features a wide field of view, daylight readability and see-through performance. The DK-Sleek displays can be integrated into a variety of AR glasses and include dark corrective lenses that magnetically snap on top to adjust for different lighting conditions.

According to Lumus, its optics products are already in use with Thales and the U.S. Air Force (USAF)—and the company says 50% of the USAF’s flights in the Middle East are currently using Lumus optics. The company is now looking to grow customers in the civil aviation market and plans to have a “Lite” version of the DK-Sleek integrated into its own easy-to-use glasses on the market in June.

Yujin Robot GoCart

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Yujin Robot’s GoCart is an autonomous transportation system that can be used to carry parts and packages within factory and warehouse environments. The robot features IoT connectivity that is able to interface with automatic doors or elevators requiring authorization and its stereo camera can detect obstacles using laser and 3D ultrasonic sensors.

The GoCart is already used in the automotive industry and Yujin Robot says it is looking at the aviation industry as a new potential customer segment, since the robot could be used to deliver aircraft parts or tools in large warehouse or workshop environments.

Embr Wave

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

The Embr Wave is a smart wearable bracelet that uses patented thermal waveform technology to help regulate body temperature, which could potentially be useful for mechanics working on aircraft in hot or cold environments. According to Embr, the Wave can make users feel up to five degrees cooler or warmer in just three minutes by cooling or warming the temperature-sensitive skin on the wrist. The bracelet’s temperature can be controlled via touch or through the company’s mobile app, which connects via Bluetooth. The Wave is already on the market and is priced at $299.

Lynx AR Headset

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Lynx is a French AR startup headed by a veteran of the French Air Force. The company’s mixed reality headset allows wearers to interact with virtual objects, which can be used on both the pilot and mechanic side of aviation. According to Lynx, the headset can be used during pilot training to simulate cockpit configuration and it can also be used for maintenance training or remote collaboration during maintenance events occurring in distant locations. Lynx was displaying its latest prototype of the headset at CES and says the production version is slated for the end of February 2019.

FieldBox.ai

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

The FieldBox.ai platform provides artificial intelligence (AI) at industrial sites for functionality such as quality control and optimization. The platform, which can be deployed on-premises or via the cloud, can be used for a variety of scenarios within aviation. By connecting to existing data sources such as sensors, machines and databases, FieldBox.ai can improve logistics, optimize flight parameters or run maintenance scenarios and check system statuses. The company says it is in the process of working with potential aerospace customers, but it is not yet disclosing specific details.

Bebop Sensors Forte Wireless Data Glove

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Bebop Sensors’ Forte Wireless Data Glove uses smart fabric sensor technology to digitize hand movements. The glove provides a haptic response and vibrational triggers to enable wearers to interact with the virtual world in a touch-based fashion. Bebop Sensors says the glove could potentially be used to better train aviation workers on how to use or fabricate equipment, and the glove can interface with AR and virtual reality applications.

MAXST Industrial AR Assistant

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

MAXST’s Industrial AR Assistant is a software-based industrial AR assistant that provides real-time IoT data from industrial machines, such as those in the aviation supply chain environment. The software, which can run on a range of mobile devices and smart glasses, is able to map a machine environment so when a worker holds their device or smart glasses up to the machine, they can access IoT data such as the latest maintenance date, maintenance history and more.

Workers can also use remote collaboration functionality to call experts in another location, share their screen view, draw on screen and record work processes. According to MAXST, the technology is used in Samsung’s factories and has yet to be adopted within the aerospace industry.

ProGlove MARK

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

ProGlove’s MARK smart data glove uses a built-in barcode scanner to help production or logistics workers complete quicker, hands-free data entry. The glove features green and red-colored lights along with vibrational feedback to prevent mistakes during the glove’s use cases, such as part picking, packing, assembly and tracking. The glove is currently being used by Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services and ProGlove says it is looking into other potential aerospace customers.

AeroHealth.ai

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

AeroHealth.ai is a platform to provide remote medical guidance on-board an aircraft during flight. The platform is integrated into an aircraft’s IFE system and can be used in the case of an on-board medical emergency, allowing crew to interact with a remote physician to find out what treatment can be performed immediately and whether an emergency landing is necessary.

AeroHealth.ai can also be used by passengers on long-haul flights to consult with a physician about illness symptoms or when to take medication. AeroHealth.ai says it is in talks with companies such as Panasonic and American Airlines about potentially integrating the system with connected seats.

Safetyn

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Safetyn is an intelligent life preservation solution designed for pilots, which helps maintain and refine safety situational awareness. The solution combines a hardware box with sensors to provide assistance to pilots in scenarios where they may not have noticed alerts within the cockpit or conditions affecting flight safety. The box aggregates flight data that can be accessed after flights, which Safetyn says is particularly useful during pilot training to help with learning proper reactions to flight scenarios.

The prototype has been in testing with pilots since September 2018 and Safetyn says it plans to release the production version after the Paris Air Show in June 2019.

Regulus Pyramid GNSS Receiver

Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

Regulus’ Pyramid GNSS Receiver is a palm-sized piece of hardware that can detect fake satellite signals to combat the increasingly dangerous threat of spoofing attacks on GPS systems within aircraft, drones, cars and autonomous systems. Regulus says autopilot on aircraft or air taxis and drones that fly lower to the ground are particularly exposed to spoofing attacks. At CES Regulus showed live demonstrations of how quickly the GPS in a mobile phone could be hacked and tricked into thinking it was driving toward the Hoover Dam while sitting stationary at the booth.

According to Regulus, the Pyramid GNSS is the smallest technology of its kind on the market and set at a low price point, which makes it more accessible for airlines needing to install the product across fleets. Regulus recently broke into the aviation industry after working with industries like automotive and drones, and the company says it is currently receiving interest from aerospace companies—particularly those dealing with flying taxis.